National fire training focuses on health, safety

Published 7:00 pm, Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Midland firefighters will take part in the National Firefighter Safety Stand Down which began Wednesday and will continue today and tomorrow.

The sixth annual nationwide training event centers this year around its theme: "Protect yourself: Your safety, health and survival are your responsibility."

This is the third year the department has taken part in the Stand Down, said MFD training chief Steve Forbes.

Training Wednesday included a quarter-combat challenge to help simulate a rescue using the training field's three-story tower.

First, firefighters in complete bunker gear each had to carry a hose to the third floor of the building and use a rope to hoist another section of the hose to where they were.

Then at the second floor, those testing had to use a sledgehammer to move a metal sled, which takes anywhere between 12 and 25 blows, Forbes said.

Finally at the first floor of the training tower, they each were made to do a ladder-raising exercise followed by a charged hose advancement exercise before dragging a dummy to simulate a rescue mission.

Forbes said he hopes the firefighters will use the testing as a general self-assessment to gauge where they are physically and, if out of shape, formulate steps to get into better shape.

The fastest time so far Wednesday was a little under two minutes, with the average time to complete the whole exercise generally between three and four.

This week's training is part of the ongoing training all firefighters have to take part in each year to maintain their certification.

Forbes said this week's national training methods are important because they focus on protecting firefighters from threats that could be deadly while on-duty.

"The Safety Stand Down tries to hit things that are the major causes of firefighter deaths. We key in on the physical fitness part," Forbes said adding that heart attacks are the number one reason many firefighters die while on the job.

Last year, an estimated 110 firefighters were killed in the line of duty; so far this year, 45 have been killed, said Forbes.